It was inevitable. The new pitch-count limits are starting to affect baseball teams, particularly as the weather worsens.

And with perhaps as many as six days of wet, cold weather due into next week, in-state teams will get to repeat the process at least one more time before the beginning of the postseason.

Teams entered the 2016 season with the following rules — a player who throws 35 pitches in a game doesn’t have to have any rest; 36-60 pitches, one day of rest; 61-85, two days of rest; and 86-110, three days of rest.

While most coaches are in agreement that pitch counts shouldn’t be considered as a hard-and-fast rule — they realize kids don’t have universal arm abilities — they also are discovering that pitch-count limitations are problems when teams get backed up in scheduling, which is virtually a certainty in Colorado’s fickle conditions in the spring season.

Megan Rapinoe, midfielder for the U.S. Women’s National Team that won the World Cup in 2015, paid a visit to Fort Lupton Middle School last Friday to present a $5,000 check to the school for winning the Colorado “Game Plan for Success” contest.

“Our offense is just a production machine right now,” first-year head coach Mandico said.

Mandico and his staff are defense-oriented and went to the March training camp seeking someone with an offensive mindset to help with their attack. Not only did Air Academy get the offensive guidance it wanted, the Kadets received arguably the best instruction out there — from lacrosse legend Ryan Boyle, who is considered one of the smartest players in the sport’s history.

Jones had the honor of presenting SI’s award to Milner during halftime of the varsity girls game. “I came here today and I feel I met a celebrity,” Jones said of Milner. “He runs, I think, the whole school.”

If you follow my offerings, you know I’ve been running into strange dealings in baseball. It seems like I encounter at least one every time I hit a game, either something unusual or bizarre.

It happened again on Tuesday, in Aurora at Cherokee Trail, which was hosting Grandview for the Class 5A Centennial League lead.

Please keep in mind — this was in addition to the facts that each team turned two double plays and the game started out a like a low-scoring affair, nearly turned into a mercy-rule rout, then finished as a nail-biter. And it was cold, very cold, as each fan seemed to be sporting a winter coat, hoodie or a blanket wrapped around them.

Anyway, here’s the deal — it was the bottom of the fifth inning and Grandview had just watched its 13-3 lead shrink to 13-6. The Cougars had one out and runners on first and third base. No. 2 hitter Conner Nantkes ripped a shot to left field that looked like it would go for extra bases. However, Grandview’s Garrett Gipson turned in a terrific play, caught it and fired back into the infield.

The Cougars’ John-Michael Osley, on third base, alertly waited to see if Gipson caught it, then made sure he tagged up before running home.

It appears to be a sacrifice fly, right? Apparently, as Osley crossed the plate. However, Eric Cox, who was on first base, ran on the play and actually went past second base. When he saw that Gipson made the play, he tried to get back to first and failed. Gipson relayed to Hunter McLaran, who then threw to first baseman Dylan Bowers, who stepped on the bag for the forceout.

So we had just witnessed a sacrifice fly double play, right? Again, it appeared that way and most everyone at the field thought so. But in the next inning while making a visit to the pitching mound, Grandview coach Scott Henry asked the home-plate umpire to the mound, they talked and the umpire informed the official scorers that the Wolves’ final run of the sixth did not count. So when the Cougars were rallying in the seventh, they thought they were within just a couple of runs … but they weren’t. Plus, there were hard feelings and words exchanged on the final out of the game, a close call at first on a grounder to shortstop.

After the game, Henry stated that the run was negated because it was a continuation of a double play, as in a 6-4-3 DP. And when contacted in the parking lot, the home-plate ump stated that the run didn’t count because the runner on third didn’t cross the plate before the DP was completed.

Either way, it was yet another strange occurrence at a baseball game, which by the way, was won 13-10 by Grandview, now tied with Mullen for the Centennial lead at 8-0.

I’ve seen enough quirky plays just over the past few weeks to last a decade.

According to athletic director Kevin Boley, the Titans have brought in Verlyn Rosenthal to take over the volleyball program.

Rosenthal was at Class 3A Colorado Springs Christian School from 2002-06 and won three state titles. CSCS also had a 136-17 match record. He moved on later to Colorado Christian University in Lakewood from 2010-2015, winning more than 100 games and advancing to significant rounds of the postseason twice, including the National Christian Colorado Athletic Association championships two seasons ago.

In 2015, the 5A Titans were 18-9 overall, 5-5 in the Continental League, and advanced to the state tournament at the Denver Coliseum.

Recently, Legend also hired Monte Thelen, a longtime state figure, notably at Rangeview and Cherokee Trail in Aurora, as head football coach.

It has become fashionable in today’s baseball to suggest that going to a game — or watching one — means you may see something you haven’t seen before.

It happened again in Colorado schoolboy play on Monday … twice.

At Denver East, where the Angels hosted rival Denver North in an important Denver Prep League game, odd occurrences came through in the third and fifth innings, both double plays.

First, the Vikings had four base runners in the third and failed to score. Here’s how it went — leadoff Harris Williams doubled and Christian Robles walked. Williams also stole third base. However, Williams got caught in between third and home, was tagged out in a rundown, and the Angels got another out when Robles, trying to get to third when Williams was running between Angels, fell when trying to get back to second.

Judah Wilbur then walked and Carlos Sanchez followed with a single, but Denver East got out of it when Daniel Gurrola struck out. That’s four guys on base and zero runs.

Fountain-Fort Carson’s boys and Arapahoe’s girls finished first in the team races on Saturday in the annual Liberty Bell track and field meet held at Littleton Public Schools Stadium.

There were three double winners, all on the girls’ side. Denver East’s Arria Minor won the 100 and 200 meters; Rock Canyon’s Emily Sloan won both hurdles; and Castle View’s Sierra Suazo won the discus and shot put.

Neil Devlin, originally from the Philadelphia area, has covered high school sports in Colorado for more than 30 years, writing about the people, athletes and events that encompass the Rocky Mountain prep sports world.